


Brown-tailed Warbler

by stillinbeta



Series: Diakko Week 2020 [4]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bird Watching, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26140459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillinbeta/pseuds/stillinbeta
Summary: Sibley's? Check. Tea Flask? Check. Sun barely peeking over the horizon? check. It was a perfect morning for birding in central park. Now just what was all that racket?Nobody's tagged anything "Birdwatching AU" yet so I think that means I invented it.Entry for Day 4 ofDianakko Week 2020: AU!
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: Diakko Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891576
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	Brown-tailed Warbler

The sun was just peeking above the horizon as Diana got off the A train at 81st Street. Her breath clouded in front of her face, and she pulled up her collar against the October morning chill. She walked into Central Park, past the sleepy museum and shuttered concession stands. 

This was New York, so she wasn’t completely alone. The odd jogger passed her, and there were a poor souls sleeping rough on the benches. But most importantly, all around her, she heard birdsong. 

That was why she was here, after all. The Ramble was no Galapagos, but there were still plenty of interesting avians, and a life list to fill out. Birding in Central Park had a long, storied history, but she wasn’t much for the social aspects the local Club offered. Work had more than enough chit-chat for one day. 

Instead, she pulled out her binoculars, her copy of Sibley’s, and a small flask of tea. She’d been coming here for years now, and she had a routine. The first, and most important step, was the tea. She sipped it slowly, letting the sounds of the world filter out. 

Fall was migration season, and she’d heard a tip online that Connecticut Warblers were passing through this week. They’d evaded her for the last two years, and she was determined to check them off before winter fell. 

Urban birding was a unique challenge. First, one must strip out all the noise of the city. Even this early, irate cab drivers and trundling busses plied the street, brakes squealing and horns honking. 

Next, there were all the boring city birds. Rock doves, house sparrows, and eastern starlings had been checked off her list before she’d even made it to her flat the first time. They were cute, to be sure, but mostly they just crowded out the native species. To find the real gems, they had to be filtered out. 

Then, and only then, could the real birding begin. A frequent joke was that it was supposed to be “bird-watching,” not “bird-listening,” but the fact was her targets were absolute masters of camouflage. Songs and calls were pointers in the right direction, helping her know what to look for. So she sat still and listened. 

“Cheeeeep. Cheeeeeep. Chipppy Chippy Cheeep.” 

What was _that?_

“Cheeeppy Cheepy Chirp! Chirp!” 

It sounded like… well, it sounded like someone poorly mimicking a songbird. Maybe someone was out with their kid? What kind of kid woke up before sunrise? 

“Chiiiirp chiiirp come on come on chiiirrrp!” 

She had her answer pretty soon. A short Japanese woman with fallen leaves in her brown hair walked out of the stone arch. And if there was any doubt she was Diana’s interloper, she had her hands cupped and was making mediocre bird calls as she went. 

Diana rubbed her temples. Certainly this spot was ruined for now. Any bird in the vicinity had fled as far away as they could. Probably it was time for her to do the same. 

The other woman stopped on the path, brow furrowed in concentration. She pulled a small notebook out of her hoodie pocket, and squinted at the pages. Then she changed her tune. 

“Cheepy chuppy. Cheepy chuppy CHEEPY CHUPPY Cheepy chuppy.” 

And then, in contravention of not just logic, but of the existence of a loving god, a miracle occurred. In a tree directly above the woman, a bird responded. 

The weirdo in the hoodie grinned, and repeated her weird song. 

Diana pulled out her binoculars, then almost dropped them. Would have, if they weren’t looped around her neck. There, in all its tiny glory, was the warbler she’d been searching for. Singing to a young woman with a messy ponytail. 

A sighting was a sighting, and a check-mark went into her logbook. But somehow it didn’t feel like a victory. Diana gathered up her tea and guide, and headed back toward the subway. The ride home was occupied with thinking about a profoundly irritating woman who she refused to believe could talk to birds. 

# 

The next week was quiet. At least, all the birdsong was from actual birds. Plenty of weirdos in the Ramble, but they were the ones you expect to find in Manhattan at the crack of dawn. 

To Diana’s immense irritation, the Connecticut Warbler never made another appearance. It didn’t really matter — once was enough for the logbook — but it would’ve been a symbolic victory. It would’ve proved that it was all just coincidence, that patience was all that was required for good birding. 

She would simply have to keep looking. They had to be out there somewhere. 

Today’s target was a White-crowned Sparrow. It was getting toward the end of the season for them, so today was likely one of the last chances she’d have to spot one this season. She had her binoculars ready, and she went into focus mode. 

“cheepcheepcheeptweeeeeee!” 

Oh for the love of… 

Diana seriously considered just getting up and going home. Possibly for the rest of the year. But some kind of bizarre curiosity kept her pinned to the spot. Sure enough, the same woman crested a nearby hill, singing her bizarre interpretation of a sparrow. 

She wandered down the road, oblivious to the world around her, staring up at the trees. 

New York City protocol here was crystal clear. All other humans were to be ignored, _especially_ those that appeared to have a screw or two loose. The island was small, and nobody wanted to be reminded how close they were. 

Diana was a stickler for rules, even unspoken ones. But sometimes that meant knowing when the rules weren’t useful. And if she didn’t say something now, she’d be ceding her spot for the foreseeable future. 

She gathered her things, and walked swiftly after the interloper. 

“Excuse me, ma’am.” 

The woman turned around to look at her. And she did _look_. The full once-over. If Diana had been upset before, she was furious now. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

“Um. Singing, mostly.” 

“Why?” 

The girl shrugged. “Birds like it.” 

The nerve of… 

“What do you mean, they like it? How could you possibly know that?” 

A shrug. “Dunno. They sing back, sometimes. And they seem happy to see me.” 

“I see.” 

“I don’t see what the problem… is that _Sibley’s_?” 

Diana glanced down at the book in her hands. 

“Yes?” 

“Woah, you’re a bird watcher too! We should totally hang out sometime! My name’s Akko! What’s yours?” 

“Diana.” 

“Do you come here often?” 

“Pretty much every morning…” 

“That’s so cool! I’ll definitely come by here more often. I just think this is so much more fun with someone, you know?” 

“Not really….” 

“Oh, this is amazing. Wait till Lotte and Sucy here about this! Those are my roommates. They think I’m crazy for getting up this early, haha!” 

Well, maybe not for that particular reason. 

Diana made a show checking the time. “Oh, I’m afraid I need to take off now.” 

“Aww, but we just got here.” 

“…Nevertheless, I have business to attend to. Good day, Akko.” 

“Bye!” 

Diana walked quickly back toward the train, not even pausing to put her book back in her bag. She chewed over the encounter in her head. How had it possibly gone so completely pear-shaped? She was just trying to keep her mornings quiet, and somehow she’d achieved the complete opposite. “Akko” was not only not going to stop her bizarre bird whispering, but she would now actively be seeking Diana out! It was a complete disaster! 

And yet… there was a part of Diana that was curious. It wasn’t often one got to meet someone so outside of one’s social circles. And there was definitely something intriguing about Akko’sparticular approach to their shared hobby. 

The die was cast, as they said. She could avoid the spot until Akko gave up, but that would be rude. Plus, it was essentially admitting defeat. No, she would return to the Ramble as normal. And maybe she’d pack some extra tea. 

# 

That morning, Diana was even earlier than usual. The subway was almost empty, a rag-tag bunch of night shifters and very committed revellers. The train scarcely opened its doors before slamming them shut and racing for the next station. 

It was a particularly cold morning, but Diana had still made an effort to dress up. First impressions mattered, and she had made a pretty poor showing. This would have to do. It was just small talk with a stranger. How hard could it be? 

The streetlights were still on as she entered the park. Everything was hazy with morning fog, and it gave the world an ethereal glow. It would’ve been pretty but unfortunately it also made spotting very difficult. On a normal day, she might not have even bothered to turn up. 

She was still considering it. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she was apprehensive about the meeting. Some reptilian instinct deep in her brain was hollering at her to run back to the safety of her small apartment. Preposterous, of course. She had more to fear from the hawks than Akko. 

“Hi!” 

“Gah!” 

Speak of the devil and she shall sneak up behind you, it seems. Diana cleared her throat and pretended she hadn’t yelled. 

“Good morning, Akko.” 

“Morning!” 

“I ah, did not expect you to be here quite this early.” 

“Oh! Yeah, I don’t really have a normal sleep schedule.” 

She made air quotes around the end of the sentence. 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Eh, I’m used to it. Plus I get to meet interesting people.” 

It took Diana a moment to realise that category included her. At least, she hoped it did. She was interesting, right? 

“I suppose one would. I barely talk to anyone outside of work.” 

They settled into easy chit-chat. Diana’s anxiety around small chat was mercifully unfounded. It turned out Akko was a student at City College, and a regular at central park. She could speak five languages but could otherwise barely manage C-level marks. Constantly falling asleep in class didn’t help, probably. 

“So how did you get into birding?” Diana asked. 

Diana had broken out her thermos and two mugs, and Akko had muffins from a bakery near campus. They weren’t particularly good, but at least the company was. 

“I guess... there wasn’t anyone to talk to this early, so I decided I’d talk to the birds.” 

“I… see.” 

“I’ve always had a way with languages, you know. It was a toss-up between learning Russian and House Sparrow, and the quarter came up tails.” 

Surely she was joking. Birds didn’t have language, they just chirped at each other. Right? 

“Do they talk back?” 

“Sometimes! Mostly they just sound kind of confused. I must have a pretty thick accent, so I’m not too surprised.” 

Maybe she wasn’t joking. 

“Well, it’s certainly unconventional, but I can’t argue with the results.” 

Akko shrugged. “I guess. Mostly I just like having someone to talk to.” 

“Yeah. It’s... nice.” 

And it was. Diana realised with growing horror that she could get used to this. The two of them were taking turns with the binoculars, but it wasn’t the solitude she was used to. Mostly, they were just enjoying each other’s company, and the birds were a nice backdrop to that. As the sun rose and the rest of the city woke up, it was almost time for her to start her regular day. 

But she didn’t _want_ to. It felt like the world was standing still right now, and if she were to head back to the train everything would go back to normal and she’d never get this feeling back. 

She hadn’t realised how lonely she was until just now. And, well, she also hadn’t realised why she was quite so nervous to meet Akko again. But as the pieces fell into place, there was only one option available. 

“Akko?” 

“Mm. Yeah?” 

“Can I buy you breakfast?” 

Akko beamed, and Diana was sure her heart would stop. “That sounds great.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Proofread by my amazing wife [itsCaravel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsCaravel). I love her so much!


End file.
